Chapter 119 Chapter 119. Mr. Qiu's memories. (Chapter...
As soon as Lin Zhi and Shen Yan returned to the shop, Lin Sen and Song Jiaoniang rushed over, holding a rag stained with red blood. "Why did someone just bring in a bucket of pig's blood and a lot of pork offal? Didn't you go to Mr. Qiu's house to watch the fun?"
Just now, when several strange officers brought two jars of pig blood, pig offal and pork, the couple was shocked.
Especially the jar of pig blood, which had a really strong fishy smell, startled the guys who were moving it, and accidentally spilled some outside, leaving two of them to clean up the mess.
Lin Zhi explained everything that happened in the Qiu Mansion in detail, and even Lin Sen and his wife were confused.
The two looked at each other and whispered to each other, "Using pig's blood and flour to make noodles? Can it taste good?"
The voice was so loud that Linzhi could hear it clearly. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Mom and Dad, just wait and see!"
After saying that, she turned and went into the kitchen. Linzhi first instructed the kitchen helpers to clean the pig offal that had been delivered, preparing it for braising later. She then prepared the pig blood noodles while the blood was still fresh.
She first scooped a spoonful of pig blood into the basin, added some onion and ginger water and stirred it well for later use. She then took some flour and piled it on the chopping board, dug a hole in the middle, and poured in a little of the prepared pig blood water.
As you would knead dough normally, use your hands to gently mix the flour and pig blood water together until the dough is smooth and bright red in color. Cover the dough with a towel and let it relax for a while.
After the dough is loose enough, Linzhi picks up the rolling pin and rolls the dough into a thin sheet, folds it repeatedly, and finally cuts it into very thin noodles with a large knife.
Chen Yan and Lin Sen looked at the rose-red dough, surprised and puzzled: "Is it ready now?"
It's no wonder they were confused. Up to this point, the production process was very simple, not much different from making ordinary dough. It was hard to imagine that this rope cake could be so delicious that Mr. Qiu would think about it for decades.
Lin Zhi nodded, then shook her head: "There is still some preparation work to be done."
The three of them breathed a sigh of relief. If it could be accomplished so easily, they would have felt uneasy.
Lin Zhi didn't notice their expressions changing. She turned around and asked, "Would you like to try a bowl? You can cook it now, but the texture and color will be a little different."
The three of them looked at the bright red noodle cake and felt a little scared. It took them a long time to nod in agreement.
Although the bloody smell when Zhi Jie'er was kneading the dough just now, and the bloody color when the pig blood was mixed with flour, made people feel disgusted, but this is the food made by Zhi Jie'er after all, it shouldn't be bad, right?
"...It shouldn't be too bad, right?" When Song Jiaoniang came to her senses, she realized that she had actually said it out loud, and quickly raised her hand to cover her mouth.
"It's not bad. Mom, haven't you eaten pig blood sausage before? They're both blood products and taste pretty much the same. It's just that you might not be used to it the first time you eat it."
As Linzhi explained, she took a piece of lard and rubbed it into her palm until it melted. Then she reached out and tossed the pig blood glutinous rice cakes evenly, coating each with a thin layer of lard. She then placed them in the steamer and waited for the water to boil before steaming them. She said it would take two cups of tea.
"The pig blood noodles steamed this way are vermilion red. The ones I'll cook for you later will be a little darker in color, dark brown or even a little grayish black."
After Linzhi finished speaking, she ignored the noodles in the steamer and turned around to think about the ingredients.
According to Mr. Qiu, the bowl of soup noodles back then should have had some basic seasonings at the bottom of the bowl, then a spoonful of thick pork bone soup poured on it, pig blood noodles put in, and then various braised pork offal placed on top.
But since he was going to try something new today, there was no need to wait that long for the braised pork offal. Linzhi thought about it and simply took some cleaned pork offal and marinated it with salt, chicken powder and pepper.
Then Linzhi worked on both sides at the same time, burning oil on one stove to prepare frying pork offal, while on the other side he boiled water and put the freshly cut pig blood cakes into the pot.
When the soba is cooked through, take it out and rinse it with cold water to drain, then put it on a plate and add a large spoonful of freshly fried pork offal with scallions. A bowl of pork offal soba is ready.
"Aren't you talking about soup noodles?" Chen Yan asked curiously.
"If I'm not mistaken, the soup noodles Mr. Qiu uses are made with braised pork offal. It would take at least an hour to make them now," Lin Zhi said with a smile. "Let's try it ourselves. Stir-frying the pork offal and mixing it with the noodles is enough."
While Linzhi instructed the three people to take the pork offal pancakes out, he opened the lid of the steamer, took out the pig blood pancakes that had just been steamed, put them in a bamboo basket, hung them in a ventilated place, and waited for time for the pancakes to dry slowly.
After finishing all this, Lin Zhi washed her hands, lifted the kitchen door curtain and walked into the hall, where she saw Chen Yan dancing with joy. He and Lin Sen and his wife described Lin Zhi's performance today: "That man was so embarrassed by Sister Zhi's words that he covered his face and ran away. It's a pity that Uncle Lin and Aunt Song didn't see it. That scene was so funny!"
"That Mr. Qiu is also a pitiful man." Song Jiaoniang was more sentimental and couldn't help but sigh for Mr. Qiu's efforts over the years. As she tossed the noodle cake in front of her, she muttered, "For a bowl of noodle soup, he searched for so many years and gave away so much money in vain."
Chen Yan heard Song Jiaoniang's sigh and paused before saying, "Aunt Song isn't entirely right. In fact, a few years ago, there was another version of the story."
Hearing the gossip, Lin Sen and his wife opened their eyes wide and said, "Tell me quickly."
Even Lin Zhi couldn't help but quicken her pace and walked over to the three of them and sat down. While flipping the bread, she listened to Chen Yan talk about the past: "Mr. Qiu's relationship with his father was not very warm, even a little indifferent."
"I heard that Mr. Qiu's father was a poor scholar who only completed his studies thanks to his mother's family wealth. However, after becoming the top scholar in the imperial examination, he developed a philandering mind. It is said that before his death, he already had a mistress and a child, and he repeatedly tried to marry her, but was only thwarted by Mr. Qiu's intervention."
"When Mr. Qiu's father passed away, he immediately had his concubine and half brother sent back to the countryside. The concubine even went to the government office to file a complaint, demanding Mr. Qiu raise her half brother. However, Mr. Qiu refused to acknowledge that the child was his father's."
When Chen Yan said this, Song Jiaoniang immediately curled her lips: "Another Chen Shimei."
"He is decisive in killing." Lin Sen nodded, thinking that Mr. Qiu's operation was very good.
"Indeed, but after he passed the imperial examination and became the top scholar, these things began to damage his reputation." Chen Yan said carefully, "It is said that the story of this bowl of soup noodles spread not long after."
"When people outside saw him, they all praised him as a filial son. His reputation as an official also improved a lot. Many of his colleagues thought he was loyal and righteous."
"Whether it's genuine or fake, being able to stick with it for so many years is better than those who can't even bother to pretend. After all, how many people in this world can't even remember their parents' preferences, let alone a bowl of soup noodles from decades ago."
After a pause, Lin Zhi continued, "Perhaps Mr. Qiu is also thinking about that time, when his father had not yet made his fortune, and the family used the money they had saved up to buy a bowl of hot pork soup noodles, and sat together happily enjoying it."
"Sister Zhi is right." Chen Yan's eyes darkened, and he suddenly thought of his own affairs. He felt that he might have listened too much to other people's gossip, and without personal observation, he could not perceive the true heart hidden deep inside.
"Let's not talk about this anymore. Let's try the pig blood pancake and see what it tastes like. It will get cold soon." Lin Sen urged.
After saying that, he was the first to pick up the chopsticks, picked up a piece of pig blood pancake impatiently, and put it into his mouth anxiously without waiting for it to cool down.
The next breath, a wonderful aroma instantly filled their mouths. The pig blood pancakes didn't have the expected fishy smell, only a faint aroma of meat and wheat. Each one was evenly coated with oil and sauce, soft and smooth, refreshing, and unexpectedly delicious.
After Lin Sen swallowed a mouthful, he couldn't help but praise: "Refreshing!"
Then he began to taste the stir-fried pork offal. The rice noodle intestines were crispy and tender, the pig liver was fresh and sweet, and even the pig kidneys had no fishy smell at all. Instead, they became more fragrant the more he chewed them.
Linzhi also put some pork belly slices in it, and the fat in the fat was completely stir-fried into the pork offal. The edges of the lean meat were slightly charred, and it tasted fat but not greasy.
Every time they chewed it, a little juice would overflow from the pork belly and pork offal, which made them unable to stop eating. In a short while, the whole bowl of pork offal pancake was finished.
The three of them quickly ate until their bellies were full and burped contentedly. However, Chen Yan had a question: "This biscuit isn't crispy either?"
…
Three days later, after Linzhi sent someone to inform the Qiu family, Mr. Qiu also rushed to Linzhiji. He sat in the hall outside, ignoring the curious glances from others. He simply craned his neck toward the kitchen, hoping that Chef Lin would serve the bowl of suobian he had longed for for decades.
Soon, a strange yet familiar aroma wafted out of the shop. Then, Lin Zhi lifted the curtain and emerged from the kitchen, offering the bowl of suona to Mr. Qiu.
Various braised pork offal are placed on the red rope cake, and the soup is clear and exudes a faint fragrance.
Mr. Qiu said nothing, picked up a piece of cake with chopsticks, looked at it for a long time before putting it into his mouth.
It is slightly hot when you put it in your mouth, and it is chewy and crispy when you bite it hard!
Mr. Qiu's body trembled and his face suddenly changed. He chewed in a daze. The rope cake made of pig blood had a unique meaty aroma, like a small hook, or like a hanging fishhook that penetrated deep into his mind, capturing the memory of more than 30 years ago.
It was a bitterly cold winter day, and the woman held his hand as they walked along the road with difficulty. He was shivering with cold and starving, but whenever he asked, the woman would always say they were almost home.
But the road home seemed endless, and when he was finally drowsy, he suddenly felt his body lighten and was embraced in the same cold embrace.
It was a long time before he gradually felt warm. When he woke up, he found himself lying on the kang in a stranger's house, and the room was filled with a sweet smell.
Soon, the old man in front of him noticed that he had woken up and brought him another bowl of hot soup noodles... It was a bowl of soup noodles that made people want to cry after eating it.
As he was thinking, tears fell from his eyes, making Chen Yan and Lin Sen and his wife stare wide-eyed.
Soon, the curious diners around also noticed this scene and gasped: "Hiss..."
"Is Mr. Qiu...crying?"
"Could it be that Chef Lin has made it?"
Mr. Qiu ignored the noises around him and ate the pork soup noodles with chopsticks. After finishing the noodles and toppings, he drank up all the soup.
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